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Aug 05, 2014 Web Exclusive By J. Pace

“Thought it sounded cool.” There—we got the band name out of the way. Fair enough. Nope, you’ll find no backwards-voiced, creepily dancing little people here. Unless that describes you. In which case high-five, shimmy in here and—actually, don’t; that’s creepy. Instead let’s let loose with some unrepentant rockism, hooks galore, chicken-walking Jagger-swagger, and power-pop jangle from these garage-y Chicagoans. 2013’s Sunken had hints of the same, but obscured most of it in a fuzzy, low-fidelity background. That was fine—gauzy and striking, even—but this time everything’s up-front and raucous.

“Flavor,” for one, just nails it. Could be some lost KISS favorite (that first “I” in each verse—“I was born not breathing” and “I searched and drifted and grieved”—could just as easily have wanted to rock all night and party every day). Or wait, “Mirror of Time” is the one—drawing you in with its soaring but seasick melodicism, charming you enough to earn a Ray Davies mention. Another high-five; let’s make breakfast. Maybe to “Making Breakfast,” which kinda irresistibly pantomimes the mid-era Stones. Envision Mick Jagger scrambling eggs for you, holding out a spatula lovingly. Actually, don’t; that’s also creepy. But it does speak to the hint of winking irreverence present on that track. These guys are here to have fun, and their faculty for it might rankle some elders. But in America’s Midwest, sacred cows are for the tipping, so just sit back and make note of every touchstone trodden while these youngsters blow it all out on mostly tuned guitars. (www.music.twinpeaksdudes.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10